105,000 computers exploited by Chrome extension to mine Monero cryptocurrency
After installing the Archive Poster extension on Chrome, it will run in the background and secretly mine a cryptocurrency called Monero. Whenever the user opens the Chrome browser, this extension will automatically run and use computer resources, slowing down the device.
Archive Poster extension found mining Monero cryptocurrency on users' computers.
An extension called "Archive Poster" has just been discovered on the Chrome browser with the purpose of mining Monero. More than 105,000 users have downloaded and used this extension from the Chrome Store since April 2014.
According to information from Window latest, this is a support tool for users when participating in the social network Tumblr. The developers started to publicize the extension and create a JavaScript mining flow to mine money for Monero in early December 2017.
This was also when the first complaints came in, as many users claimed that Archive Poster — a Google Chrome browser extension designed to help Tumblr users perform various tasks — was infected with a Monero mining program.
The software does not require user permission to operate. It also slows down computer processing speeds by diverting computing power to solving mathematical puzzles to receive cryptocurrency rewards.
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| Monero cryptocurrency. |
Essence Labs, the developer of the Archive Poster extension, acknowledged the issue in a statement. The following day, the Archive Poster extension was removed from the Google Chrome website's app store. Essence Labs is now directing users to a version that it claims is more secure.
Troy Mursch - a cybersecurity researcher commented: "I don't think Google is considering this incident as a serious security issue. They have not come up with an action plan to prevent it from happening again on Chrome."
"This extension should not be used because it uses your computer to mine cryptocurrency. Once installed, it will consume your device's CPU and slow it down noticeably.
If you have Archive Poster installed, you will see your CPU usage always high every time you open Google Chrome. You should remove this extension to avoid wasting computer resources," a user advised.
According to Bleeping Computer, around early December 2017, the extension incorporated the popular Coinhive cryptocurrency mining program into its source code.
According to a US-based security researcher who spoke to Bleeping Computer, this Javascript code secretly started a process of stealing CPU resources to mine cryptocurrency. Going deeper, this extension has integrated Coinhive into at least the last 4 versions.
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